Close, Streep, and Streisand in three-way race for remake of 'Sunset Boulevard'
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- August
- 10
Now, this is my kind of celebrity showdown! According to the London Telegraph, three megawatt matrons of American cinema—Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Barbra Streisand—are all vying for the lead role in a remake of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” (I went back and took out the phrase “grande dames” because—well, calling Streisand “grande” anything makes me nauseous.)
All three seem to have ligitimate claims to the throne of Norma Desmond, the lead role. Close, a Bedford homeowner, has played her in stage performances in both Los Angeles and on Broadway; two of the show’s song’s—”With One Look” and “As If We Never Said Goodbye”—have been recorded by Streisand; and Streep was present when Lloyd Webber’s Sydmonton put on the very first workshop of Sunset Boulevard at his estate!
Tough to predict a winner in this horse race. But I’d still like to try. A breakdown of some other factors and my choice are after the break.
– The rights to the movie are owned by Paramount, which has had a ton of success lately with Streep (see “The Devil Wears Prada”) – Close hasn’t exactly been in the limelight for a while, but now “Damages” has shown she’s better now than she’s ever been. – And the fact that both stage renditions of “Boulevard” that Close did were a huge success helps plenty too. – Since this is a musical, after all, Streisand is the only truly bankable vocal star.
Should be interesting to see how this one pans out. My money’s on Close.
(Close: AP Photo/Jason DeCrow; Streep: AP Photo/Dean Cox; Streisand: AP Photo/Fritz Reiss)
This entry was posted
on Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 8:00 am by Ted Mann.
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If there are songs to be sung, Streisand should get the role…..if not, I'll go with Streep.r
MERYL & CLOSE….MAYBE STREISAND DOES NOT GET IT….BUT SHE IS, AND YOU MUST AGREE, THE ONLY ONE WHO REALLY HAS A VOICE.
Streisand, of course! It would be a wonderful role for her and a magnificent book end to her Funny Girl debut.
True, no one can hold a candle to Streisand's voice…would be nice to see her return to something worth watching…the other two are hardly chicken feed…..they are two of the greatest actresses of our generation…wouldn't it be nice to combine all 3 and make one actress..
If you are making a musical and Streisand is interested in it – there is no else to consider. With the right director, she can also be a marvelous actress.
Can't use the term "grande" when refering to Streisand?
That says a lot more about the small person you are, rather than the stature of celebrity and talent owned by the greatest star of the 20th century.
Barbra is and will be the only one when there is a song to be sang. And it does not matter what people say, she is "GRANDE", or we are going to say she has no talent? What about Funny Girl, most of her music, what about "The Broadway Album"? It does not get any better than that…
I believe Patti Lupone would really be the best choice but since she isn't in the running it would have to b Streisand.